Apparatus for navigation of waterways.



G. DORRITY. APPARATUS FOR NAVIGATION 0P WATERWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 8, 1902.

Patented July 6, 1909.

' WITNESSES:

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS CHARLES DORRITY, OF NORTH WESTERN, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR NAVIGATION OF WATERWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latented July 6, 1909;

Application filed March 8, 1902. Serial No. 97,265.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Donnrrr, of North l l estern, in the countyof Oneida and State of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulApparatus for Navigation of Waterways, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has for its object the production of an apparatus for thenavigation of waterways, which is particularly simple in constructionand highly eflicient and practical in use; and to this end, it consistsin the devices and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a waterway and boats provided with myapparatus. Fig. 2 is a detail top plan view of a portion of one of theboats and the guiding arm therefor. Fig. 3 is a detail view of amodified construction of said arm and the corresponding track.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that beats passing incanals and other waterways, especially in open country and windyweather, are often turned. from their course by the wind, thusfrequently oecasioning damage to the boats on the banks of thewaterways, delaying the boats in transit and subjecting the navigatorsto more or less danger. My apparatus obviates these difflcul ties andalso furnishes a particularly practical means for propelling the boatsby electricity.

This apparatus consists of tracks A A ar ranged along the waterway, andmeans provided on the boats B (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) andcooperating with the tracks A A for guiding the boats. The tracks A Aare supported by a frame a which is of any desirable form, size andconstruction. The track A is rigid, is arranged in an upright plane onthe side of the frame a, and is preferably of suflicient width to permitengagement thereof by the arm I), presently described, irrespective ofthe amount of water drawn by the boat. If desired, however, said trackmay be comparatively narrow and the arm for engaging the same may beadjust able vertically as shown in Fig. 3, in which A and b represent,respectively, a track and an arm of such construction. The track A isalso rigid and here shown as a rail arranged lengthwise of the frlmle aabove the track A althougl'r the relative positions of the tracks A A isobviously immaterial In the preferable construction of my apparatus,

I arrange two tracks A A back to back in the center of the waterway andtwo tracks A A directly above the tracks A A, but this arrangement isnot an essential feature of my invention, since it two of each of thetracks A A are used, the same may be supported at the opposite sides ofthe waterway, and if desired, the waterway may be equipped with only oneof each of said tracks The tracks A A or the frame a supporting the sameform a convenient support for a suitable electric conductor 0 from whichpower for driving the boats may be derived when desired.

The means cooperating with the tracks A A for guiding the boat consistsof an arm 1) projecting laterally from the boat and engaging the track Afor limiting the move ment of the boat toward the tracks, and guys I)for limiting the movement of the boat from the tracks. Said arm l) ismovable endwise on the boat between suitable guides b by an adjustingmember 6 and is provided with an antifriction member 5 detachably andslidably engaging the track A. I generally use but one arm. I) on thefront end of the boat B, and utilize the ordinary rudder, notillustrated, to control the rear end of the boat, but a boat may beequipped with any desired number of the arms 1) arranged one in advanceof the other. The adjusting member b" is of any desirable form, size andconstruction, is held in. its adjusted position by any suitable means,unnecessary to describe herein, and is here shown as revoluble, assupported by the boat B and as connected to the arm 7) by a flexibleconnection, as a rope if having its intermediate portion wound aroundthe adjusting member and its ends fixed to the arm Z) at opposite sidesof said adjusting member. The main parts of the guys I) are preferablyformed of flexible material so as to give the boat more or less play,and corresponding ends of said guys are detaehably secured to the endsof the boat and their other ends are provided with antifriction membersI) movable along the track A.

My invention is not limited to any particular means for propelling theboats as clearly seen in Fig. 1, in which at the left-hand I have showna vessel in ving in one direction by steam-power, and at the right-hamla vessel. provided with means electrically conneeted to the conductor 0and moving in the opposite direction by electric power. Said inventionis also not limited to the exact arrangement of the tracks A A or thedetail construction of the means for limiting the movement of the boattoward and away from the tracks' Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In an apparatus for navigating waterways, the combination of a boat,a track arranged along the waterway for guiding a boat, an armassociated with the boat and projecting laterally from the same andengaging the track, said arm being adjustable relatively to the boat andto the track and means for adjusting said arm, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

2. In an apparatus for navigating waterways, the combination of a boat,a track arranged along the waterway for guiding the boat, an armprojecting laterally from the boat and having its outer end providedwith an antil riction member for engaging the track, said arm beingmovable endwise relatively to the boat, a revoluble adjusting membersupported by the boat, and flexible means connected to and movable bythe adjusting member and connected to the arm at opposite sides of saidadjusting member, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In. an apparatus for navigating waterways, the combination of a boat,two tracks arranged along the waterway, an arm projecting laterally fromthe boat and engaging one of the tracks and movable lengthwise thereof,and a guy having one end secured to the boat and the other movable alongthe other track, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an apparatus for navigating waterways, the combination of a boat,means for guiding the boat comprising two tracks arranged along thewaterway, an arm projecting laterally from the boat and engaging one ofthe tracks and movable lengthwise thereof, and a pair of guys havingcorresponding ends secured to the ends of the boat and their other endsslidable along the other track, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in theState of New York, this 6th day of February, 1902.

CHARLES DORRITY.

VVi'tnesses D. LAVINE, F. G. BODELL.

